A study was conducted in 2011 to highlight the prevalence of HCAIs and antimicrobial use in Irish long-term care facilities (LTCFs). This was conducted to inform national LTCD policy and to plan for the future of HCAI programs. With early discharges and social changes, there is an increasing number of people being cared for in LTCF. However, this study was not predominantly focused on older adults. LTCF residents vary in age, length of stay, and associated illnesses. LTCF may be based in an individual's home. In the Republic of Ireland there is a mix of public and private healthcare systems: 75% private and 25% public. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay There are few research studies on HCAI conducted by Irish LTCFs and those available show the strong link to multidrug-resistant organisms and these structures. The results of this study showed that the most common HAIs were urinary tract infections. In a study conducted between 1994 and 1995 evaluating six different care homes for the elderly in the west of Ireland, results showed that out of 56 residents, 26 would contract MRSA within the care home. This suggested that infection control interventions were likely to have an impact on MRSA prevalence. ESAC (European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption) has conducted studies to calculate antibiotic use. In April 2009, 304 LTCFs from twenty different countries participated (including 18 Irish LTCFs). It found that antibiotic prescribing was highest in Ireland at 10.5%, compared to the overall European rate of 5.9%. These studies highlight the clear link between LTCF and HCAI. These infections pose a serious threat to patient safety as they expose people to further health problems. Around 7% of European patients contract HCAI, resulting in a burden of around £1-11 billion for Britain. There are approaches to address this problem. The British Medical Association (BMI) has published recommendations on how to tackle the problem of HAIs and identify a new action plan to tackle this problem. The main changes made to the guidelines have focused on policies addressing microorganisms (particularly methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium difficile) to policies aimed at reducing HAI rates (e.g. surgical site infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia and UTI) and to change behavior. Guidelines published by the BMA suggest a wide variety of behavioral and organizational interventions, covering topics such as antimicrobial prescribing, hand hygiene, screening and isolation, bed occupancy and workload. These behavioral factors include antimicrobial prescribing narrowly focused on human, veterinary, and agricultural use. Improving hand hygiene standards through system change and cultural change, set out in the WHO guidelines focusing on hand hygiene. The use of indwelling devices that have multimodal uses that have been shown to be effective interventions, for example these “care packages” have been used to reduce catheter-related bloodstream infections. There are organizational factors that can address the issue of HCAI, for example dress code and use of personal protective equipment are vital to support excellent hygiene standards, including sleeveless, jewellery-free and.